Chimney Repair for Hillsborough chimneys
Hillsborough's chimneys are mostly younger than those in the older towns of the county, but they have their own problems. The 1980s through 2000s developments overwhelmingly used prefabricated metal fireplaces in sided chases with sheet-metal chase covers, and those covers are now at the age where they rust, sag and leak. Homes with masonry chimneys from the same era often have thin crowns and minimal caps. Older farmhouses have substantial brick chimneys with the crown, joint and liner issues typical of their age.
Wind exposure adds a factor. Chimney caps and chase covers on open Hillsborough lots are more likely to be lifted or torn loose than in sheltered towns. Asset Roofing & Chimney inspects, repairs and replaces chase covers, caps and crowns, repairs flashing, repoints and rebuilds masonry, installs stainless steel liners and waterproofs porous brick.
Hillsborough housing
Most of Hillsborough's housing dates from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s: two-story colonials and larger homes with multiple gables, attached garages and prefabricated fireplaces, along with extensive townhouse and condominium developments. Older farmhouses and rural homes survive along the older roads. Roofs are overwhelmingly asphalt shingle, and the original roofs on the 1990s and early-2000s developments are now reaching the end of their expected life.
Weather & exposure
Hillsborough's open former farmland leaves roofs exposed to sustained wind with little tree cover to break it. That exposure lifts shingles, removes ridge caps and strips chimney caps during strong fronts. Winters are cold with occasional heavy snow, though the township is lower and somewhat milder than the Somerset Hills. Summer thunderstorms cross the open land with heavy rain and occasional hail.
Repair, repoint or rebuild in Hillsborough
For a prefabricated fireplace we inspect the chase cover, storm collar, cap and the flashing at the roofline, and we look inside the chase from the top where access allows. The usual fix is a new chase cover fabricated with a cross-break so it sheds water, a drip edge that clears the siding, a new storm collar and, if needed, new flashing where the chase meets the roof.
For masonry chimneys the approach is standard: inspect from the roof and inside, rebuild the crown with an overhang and drip edge, repoint open joints, install a mechanically fastened cap that will stay put in wind, correct the flashing and install a liner if the flue is damaged or the appliance has changed.
